What’s So Special About OS X Mavericks?

Computerworld’s Michael deAgonia notes that while iOS 7 garnered most of the attention at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Apple did allocate some time showcasing the next version of its fill-featured desktop/laptop operating system, dubbed OS X Mavericks.

Unlike iOS 7, which is getting an overdue UI overhaul, the changes coming to OS X aren’t as obvious, but they’re still important. Mavericks – OS X 10.9 – will be released later this year and hasn’t yet been priced, although most pundits are anticipating either $19.95, or $29.95 – both of which have precedent as OS X version upgrade prcetags. Of course, the upgrades prior to OS X 10.7 Lion, also came on shrinkwrapped CDs or DVDs. mavericks, like Lion and Mountain Lion, must be downloaded online.

Mavericks represents more continued evolution rather than revolution, which is no bad thing considering the established goodness of OS X. deAgonia observes that all of the built-in apps in Mavericks – everything from Safari to Mail to FaceTime, Messages, Calendar and Notes – have adopted standard OS X interface elements, ditching of the leather/metal/paper backgrounds users have grown accustomed to. Won’t be missed by me.